The POTScast

Dr. Ruscio is a thought leader, expert, clinician, researcher and podcaster specializing in gut health and SIBO - small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.  In this episode, he and Dr. Tania Dempsey discuss how gut health issues like SIBO can drive MCAS, plus Dr. Ruscio's approach to testing and treatment.  This is a great conversation between top clinicians, full of practical tips for patients with...

Dr. Leonard Weinstock -- gastroenterologist, prolific researcher, and clinician on a mission to cure syndromes -- returns with his grandchild, Max, to discuss MCAS, his latest research projects, the release of his Triad documentary, and why he is so driven to keep helping people with mysterious complex syndromes.  If you are a fan of Dr. Weinstock as we are, you'll enjoy hearing him in the role of...

Since birth Lisa has lived without eyesight or normal hormones, but it wasn't until her 50's that POTS and long COVID struck.  But that hasn't stopped her from travelling, singing in a choir (including solos) and living independently.  Lisa is an expert on developing smart strategies to live better with physical challenges: In addition to doing it for her own unique combo of conditions, her profes...

Dr. Derik Anderson discusses the interconnections between POTS, hypermobility, MCAS, gut dysbiosis, autoimmunity, plus shares some of the approaches used by his clinic to identify and treat the 20% of issues causing 80% of the problems.  He discusses shockwave therapy, fascia compression, heart rate variability and more. The Muscle and Joint Clinic website can be found here .  The slide show (with...

Danielle experienced first-hand the shortcomings of the conventional primary care model for patients with complex chronic illness like dysautonomia.  So, what did she do?  She founded a better one:  "Primary care without the gaslighting"!  Danielle and two of the physicians on her team, Dr. Jen Rubin and Dr. Kate Eisenberg, discuss their new model and clinic, how they provide care differently, why...

Many POTS patients wear abdominal compression, but a team from Duke is researching ways to make it more comfortable and effective.  Kishen Mitra and Sameer Kunte are leading the team and describe their work so far, researching patient preferences, technology, designs and plans to help POTS patients have better choices for abdominal compression devices. The Uplift survey findings are published here...

Kristy's POTS had her largely bedbound until her stubborn streak and competitive spirit led her to train for a 450 mile cycling race.  She recounts the training, the 35-hour-long event, the aftermath, and what she's up to now. If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production...

The Dysautonomia Project is a Florida-based non-profit best known for their wonderful book on Dysautonomia for both patients and providers.  But they also have other great resources including their DysCourse program for patients and caregivers, education courses for healthcare practitioners, list of recommended practitioners by geographic region, and more. Professor June Bryant, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC...

Angela was healthy, busy, active and loved hiking and traveling before the cascade of syndromes arrived:  POTS, MCAS, hEDS, MALS, May Thurner Syndrome, Nutcracker Syndromes, ME/CFS.  Angela discusses how she worked to find the right experts, get answers, how her surgery for MALS went, which symptoms it did and didn't help, and which treatments she is considering now.  She also discusses how she co...

Joseph Anew is now the picture of health and fitness, but as a young man he was severely injured and received a dior diagnosis. When conventional treatments failed, he moved to a tropical beach to live out his few remaining days.  What happened next has been the basis for his great fitness and career helping others to overcome health challenges, feel their best, and perform beyond expectations.  J...

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) can affect energy, healing, the central nervous system, immune system, GI and cognitive function and more.  Dr. Scott Sherr is a Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician and the director of Integrative Hyperbaric Medicine and Heath Optimization at Hyperbaric Medical Solutions and co-founder of OneBaseHealth , a company that makes home HBOT devices.  In this epis...

Can a blue dye that was the first drug ever approved by the FDA help POTS energy and brain fog?  Dr. Scott Sherr is a Board-Certified Internal Medicine Physician, expert in health optimization, and COO of Troscriptions.  In this episode he explains Methylene Blue; what it is, how it affects the body, risks, benefits, and why he thinks it is helping POTS patients. Here is Dr. Scott's company, Trosc...

Dr. Steve Smith's most updated research suggests that stenting or embolizing dysfunctional pelvic veins may improve a wide array of POTS symptoms and related syndromes in patients with pelvic venous disorders/congestion. Dr. Smith is now retired and publishing research, but in his long career as an interventional radiologist he noticed that many of his Pelvic Congestion Syndrome patients had POTS...

Engineer and tech founder Daniel Lee created the Lumia to be a personal wearable device that fits in the ear and measures blood flow to the head, along with several other measurements and a phone app.  This allows POTS patients, researchers and others to track how their activities, foods, medications, and other environmental factors are affecting blood flow to the head and symptoms of POTS.  He ex...

Christie Cox is a best-selling author and patient advocate working to help others have an easier journey than she has had.  Her latest article explains why POTS is often mistaken for anxiety, why this can lead to harm, and practical tips for how patients and healthcare practitioners can distinguish anxiety from POTS. Christie's book, Holding It All Together When You're Hypermobile, can be found he...

Another great episode where Dr. Dempsey explains how hormones can affect mast cells and vice verse, especially when it comes to puberty, menarche, pregnancy, and menopause.   More information about Dr. Tania Dempsey and her practice can be found at https://drtaniadempsey.com/ .  If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, dona...

Several POTS patients who traveled to Springfield, Ohio for the 11th Annual SUTP 5K/2K spoke with Jill live as they waited for the event to begin. These quick interviews are inspiring, and we hope that some of their tips and tricks will help our listeners! If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to h...

 Dr. Cathy Pederson shares numerous practical tips for making travel easier for people with POTS, many of which she has tested in her own family's extensive world travels with severe POTS and related conditions. If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production costs  https://...

Molly's life has changed dramatically since two of her three children developed POTS - at different times, from different triggers and with different symptoms and severity.  Hear her story, insights and advice in this episode. If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that you don't miss an episode. If you are so moved, donations are accepted to help to support our production...

Michael Rubino is an air quality expert, environmental wellness advocate and President of Change the Air Foundation .  He is widely known as the trusted source for mold remediation expertise.  In this episode Dr. Dempsey and Michael discuss how to avoid mold in your environment, even if you don't have the means to move out of a moldy home. Here is the mold spore video discussed in this episode.  ...

Dr. Dempsey explains the facts on mold as a trigger for mast cells, including symptoms, preferred tests, treatments, resources for remediation and expectations for recovery.  This is a not-to-be-missed episode since -- as we learn in this episode -- nearly everyone has likely had exposure to the types of mold that can be problematic.  Dr. Dempsey is a mold expert and serves on the Medical Board of...

Dr. Erik Reis is a Doctor of Chiropractic Medicine, Board-Certified Chiropractic Neurologist, Certified Brain Injury Specialist, past brain injury patient himself, and founder of The Neural Connection in Minneapolis, a clinic that focuses on treating complex neurological and orthopedic disorders that range from traumatic brain injuries, dysautonomia/POTS, concussions, and more.  Here he discusses...

Jess was a busy, active student and essential worker as a medical case worker during COVID, and then her bout with COVID resulted in... hell.  Among many other symptoms, one point she could barely even talk.  But with tons of perseverance she eventually found a good doctor and some relief with IVIg.  Hear her story and advice to others. If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe s...

In this 3rd Q&A session with the amazing Dr. Dempsey she goes deep on infections as a trigger for MCAS:  How they're transmitted, symptoms, testing, treatment, and expectations for recovery.  This is a not-to-be-missed episode since -- as we learn in this episode -- nearly everyone has likely had exposure to the types of infection that can be at play. More information about Dr. Tania Dempsey a...

S. got POTS while becoming an occupational therapist and struggled through her graduate program, but now she reports having no more limitations than her friends and has founded the non-profit support organization that she wishes had been there for her.  It has helped over 600 girls internationally who live with chronic illness. If you liked this episode, we hope you will click subscribe so that yo...